A brief overview of the Guilds and their origins.

There are four Guilds in the forest, the Guild of Wolves, the Guild of Hawks, the Guild of Fish, and the Guild of Foxes, also known as WolfGuild, HawkGuild, FishGuild, and FoxGuild.

They live independently from each other, but still meet and talk every month at the Moon Council.

The Guild cats follow the Codex of Stars, believe in Starhaven, and are protected by huge spirits called The Guardians.

They reside in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The Guilds are descended from a gigantic group of cats called the Great Settlement. The Settlement was already beginning to die when a cruel Keeper, Snow Shadow, succeeded Wild Crow and took command. He was controlling and brutal, and the Settlement crumbled in his claws. He took in rogues, overhunted, and punished cats who did not obey his harsh commands. The Iris Rebellion was led by four cats, Wolfsight, Fishclaw, Foxfur, and Hawkstorm. They gathered the Settlement and overthrew Snow Shadow. Once he was gone, Starhaven split the Settlement into four groups and appointed each of the four cats as Keepers. They mostly chose the four for their skills, but Wolf Sight and Fox Fur in particular had a good relationship and would therefore keep fighting at a minimum while the new Guilds were so restless and vulnerable.

They also chose them for their leadership skills, as all four had played a large part in the rebellion and showed natural tendencies for the role. The majority of the cats accepted them as Keepers, having already worked with them during the Iris Rebellion and lived with them all their lives. The others who did not agree had to accept or leave, since Starhaven had spoken to all and they knew how everything had been laid out.

Known as the Guildmakers, the four newly named cats created the Codex of Stars and tried to settle down.

But Starhaven had other plans.

They foretold a great danger coming upon the forest, and the four Guilds fled into the mountains. There they established their territories, and, after much quarrels and war, the Guardians were created and they finally found peace.

What the danger was is a mystery, but most cats assume it was the coming of humans, and there have been rumors of a town having been built on the old territory. These rumors have not been verified, however.